Nicole Bishopp: The Sharpie Artist

Nicole grew up in a small town in Maryland. She knew she wanted to be an artist since she was in grade school. Her family wanted her to seek something different for work since there were not many opportunities for an art career in Hagerstown. Needless to say, she was anxious to get out and explore the world as soon as she could.

She attended Montana State University (Bozeman), and graduated with a BFA in Sculpture/Ceramics
She also earned a degree in Web Design at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

I knew of Nicole when I was a freshman in high school. She intimidated me a bit, and because of this it took me until my senior year to actually talk to her. This is saying a lot because we went to a really small school. This may seem irrelevant , but there’s a reason to my digression. I mentioned that I would be writing about people who inspire me. Nicole is one of those people. I was so intimidated by her, because in a time where most people are desperate to follow the crowd and be accepted Nicole remained true to herself. She never struck me as the type of person that would change herself for someone else. I think we have all admired someone from a far because of a strong quality that they possess. I got to know Nicole my senior year and discovered I was right. She is an extremely talented artist. She believes in herself, and is kind to others. She has an energy that is wonderful to be around.

Nicole’s first job was working for her father. She has come a long way from cutting glass for her father’s side business. She is now an accredited artist.

She started out creating 3 dimensional art in college and loved
the freedom of it. This is the first piece she sold. Hitch hiking. He is 6 ft. tall sculpture.

After college started a pottery business
at MSU . She said she had so much fun and loved throwing pots.

She lives in Washington with her husband and son. She is a long way from home, but she is thriving in her artistic endeavors.

One day she picked up a sharpie and started to create unique and beautiful art. I asked her why sharpie and she responded because of the permanence. She started doing illustration a year ago and In her words was lucky enough to be interviewed by Sharpie Permanent Marker and featured on their website. Here’s the link to her work.http://blog.sharpie.com/2011/07/classic-marker-new-media/

She has also combined her love for skateboarding and art. Here are some of her examples.